Highly sensitive and fast response gas sensor based on a light reflection at the glass-photonic crystal interface

Abstract We develop a versatile gas sensor based on the condition for total internal reflection at the glass-photonic crystal interface and corresponding detection scheme for rapid and precise measurement of vapors. The sensor consists of a vapor sensitive photonic crystal film as a Fabry–Perot etalon coated on a solid substrate (e.g., large face of a glass prism or glass slide). Such scheme and specific physicochemical properties of submicron silica particles provide photonic crystal sensor selectivity due to the capillary condensation of ammonia vapor with a sensitivity of 1 ppm with a response time of 100 ms.